Note:Villagers of Koilwar rejected Hyderabad based Ramky company's
proposal for hazardous waste burning plant in Daulatpur Panchayat on the bank
of Sone rivver at the public organised on October 16, 2014 by Bihar State Pollution Control
Board (BSPCB).
Several left and socialist
parties pledged to stop Koilwar from becoming a waste capital. A site visit by
villagers revealed that the project is proposed in the river bed of Sone river
in the vicinity of residential areas of the village in the proximity of the
main road in an area of 57.24 acres. Villagers informed the Suresh Kumar Sinha,
Additional District Magistrate (Upar Samaharta), Bhojpur and the BSPCB
Officials, Nand Kumar and S N Jaiswal and Circle Officer, Koilwar that this project
was rejected by Union Environment Ministry's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC)
in its meeting dated 8-9 November, 2012. The minutes of EAC are available on EAC's website..
They raised questions about the
circumstances under which this project got approval for public hearing in June
2013.
In the public hearing it was
submitted by the villagers that Delhi High Court's order in a similar case
observed that “Residents living within 10 km of an incinerator, refinery, and
waste disposal site” showed “Significant increase in laryngeal cancer in men
living with closer proximity to the incinerator and other pollution sources”.
It observed that the “Residents living around an incinerator and other
pollution sources” showed “Significant increase in lung cancer related
specifically to theincinerator”. The “People living within 7.5 km of 72
incinerators” displayed “Risks of all cancers and specifically of stomach,
colorectal, liver and lung cancer increased with closer proximity to
incinerators”. (Source:
http://www.delhicourts.nic.in/Jan13/P.K.%20Nayyar%20vs.%20UOI.pdf)
Members of Paryawaran Bachao
Jeewan Bachao Sangharsh Morcha. Koilwar and Paryawaran Swasthya Suraksha
Samiti, Giddha raised submitted that the Minutes of the 118th Meeting of the
EAC held on 8th-9th November, 2012 reveals that the EAC concluded that M/s
Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd the project “Proponent has not justified selection
of the site and also there is a habitation at about 200 m from the site which
is not advisable for this type of Hazardous waste handling and incineration
activity.”
Villagers like Dharmatma Sharma, co-founder of Paryawaran Swasthya
Suraksha Samiti and senior power engineer and noted whistle blower A K
Jain (in picture)
questioned the inconsistent claims of the Ramky company about land,
water and
power by comparing its project with other projects. Jain said that the
company
has not disclosed that this site is flood prone. This can cause Bhopal
Gas leak
like disaster.
The villagers submitted the
judgment of the Delhi High Court to the presiding officer of the public
hearing. The judgment refers to ‘The summary of “Epidemiological Studies on
Adverse Health Effects Associated with Incineration” would show that medical
waste incinerators are a leading source of dioxins and mercury in the
environment and there is link between incinerator emissions and adverse health
impacts on incinerator workers and residents living around the incinerators.’
(Source:
http://www.delhicourts.nic.in/Jan13/P.K.%20Nayyar%20vs.%20UOI.pdf)
The Court’s judgment reads: “Both
older and more modern incinerators can contribute to the contamination of local
soil and vegetation with dioxins and heavy metals. In several European countries,
cow‟s milk from farms located in the vicinity of incinerators has been
found to contain elevated levels of dioxin, in some cases above regulatory
limits. Increased levels of dioxins have been found in the tissues of
residents near to incinerators in the UK, Spain and Japan. At an incinerator in
Finland, mercury was increased in hair of residents living in the vicinity.
Children living near a modern incinerator in Spain were found to have elevated
levels of urinary thioethers, a biomarker of toxic exposure. “ It notes that
“After 2 years of operation of incinerator, dioxins levels were found increased
by about 25% in both groups living between 0.5 to 1.5 and 3.5 to 4.0 km away
(201 people) of people. In the repeat analysis, the increase was in the range
of 10-15%”.
The judgment records that
“Mothers living close to incinerators and crematoria from 1956 to 1993” showed
“increased risk of lethal congenital abnormalities, in particular, spinal
bifida and heart defects, near incinerators: increased risk of stillbirths and
anacephalus near crematoria”.
Ramky's EIA report is quite
misleading. It ignores the nearest schools, hospitals, CRPF camp and the
Koilwar railway station. It refers to Ara railway station as the nearest
railway station. BSPCB does not have the capacity to test and monitor dioxins
emissions. It came to light that BSPCB is not enforcing environmental laws in
the 99-125 factories from which hazardous industrial waste is generated which
requires disposal and treatment at the palce of their generation.
Citing these facts at the public
hearing held on 16.10.2014 at Ambika Sharan Singh High School, Jamalpur, Post-
Naya Mohammadpur, District- Bhojpur, the villagers said that they will pay any
price to stop waste from hundreds of factories and thousands of hospitals from
coming to Koilwar due to imminent public health crisis the present and future
generations of residents of villages on the Babura-Koilwar road in Bhojpur,
Bihar.
EAC, BSPCB and District
Magistrate, Bhojpur besides Bihar Human Rights Commission and R K Singh,
Member of Parliament, Ara have been informed in
writing about these public health and environmental concerns. Mukhiya of
Daulatpur panchayat, Nand Kumar and ex-Mukhiya Prabhunath Singh and
social worker Ganga Sagar Singh who were present at the venue of the
public hearing raised the question of adverse health effect of the
proposed plant in the 10 km radius of its location. A copy of the letter
submitted to MP, Ara was shared with the ADM, Bhojpur.
CPIML candidate for Ara in the 2014 elections, Raju Yadav expressed his
party's support for the cause of saving Koilwar from becoming a dumping
ground of hazardous wastes. It was apparent that there was unanimous
political opposition to the Ramky's irresponsible, insensitive,
anti-people, ant-environment and anti-health proposal.
Alok Gupta, Down To Earth
Residents of Koilwar area in Bhojpur district are up in arms against a
hazardous waste incineration plant proposed in the area next to a
village along the Sone river. While the Bihar State Pollution Control
Board organizing a public hearing for the proposed project on October
16, the residents have approached the Bihar Human Rights Commission
(BHRC) to stall the proposed hazardous waste burning plant at Mahul
Mauza on Koilwar-Babura Road. It will have the capacity to incinerate
50,000 tonnes waste in a month.
In the petition residents have alleged that proposed plant would
continuously emit noxious pollutants like dioxins that has adverse
impact on human health and the environment. BHRC has admitted the plea
for consideration.
Waste generated from 99 industrial units in various parts of Bihar
would be transported to the proposed unit for burning, according to the
proposal for the “integrated common hazardous waste treatment” plant. It
is to be constructed by Hyderabad-based Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited.
Residents of Koilwar also alleged that officials of Ramky Enviro Limited blatantly lied about the use of the site.
Ganga Sagar Singh, a resident of Koilwar in a separate petition to
Bhojpur district administration, claimed that company officials informed
the villagers that iron rods would be manufactured in the plant.
“Recently, we came to know that company will establish waste burning
unit instead of manufacturing iron rods,” Singh said.
Residents have formed an association, Paryavarn Bachao Jeevan Bachao
Sangharsh Morcha (PBJBSM), to oppose the construction of the plant. The
association in its petition has demanded that the venue of proposed unit
to be shifted from their locality and action be taken against the
company for providing misleading information on products that would be
manufactured in the plant.
Gopal Krishna of ToxicsWatch Alliance says burning of hazardous
wastes would have long-term health impacts on people and can lead to
lung and stomach cancers. He further added that such a polluting unit
should not be established near human settlement. ToxicsWatch is helping
the residents fight their case.
Government of India has banned establishment of such plants and
instructed state government and pollution control boards to ensure that
such waste burning units should be established away from human
settlements, the activist said.
A review of epidemiological studies on adverse health effects associated with incineration,
says that that medical waste incinerators are a leading source of
dioxins and mercury in the environment and there is link between
incinerator emissions and adverse health impacts on humans.
The Delhi High Court, in a judgment delivered in 2013 based on the findings of the study had instructed the government to establish such units away from the human settlements.
The Bihar State Pollution Control Board’s decision on whether it
should issue a no objection certificate to Ramky Enviro Limited will
depend on the outcome of the public hearing scheduled later this week.
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